1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inorganic cement grouting system for use in a method of anchoring a reinforcing member in a hole, e.g., in a mine roof, wherein reactive inorganic cement components are introduced into a hole and allowed to react and harden therein around a reinforcing member so as to fix it firmly in the hole.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Anchor bolts are employed in various fields of engineering, for example as strengthening or reinforcing members in rock formations and in structural bodies. The bolts are inserted into drill holes in the formation or body, and often are fixed or anchored therein, at their inner end or over substantially their entire length, by means of a reactive grouting composition which hardens around the bolt. For mine roof support, grouting compositions which harden and attain maximum strength rapidly are needed. Reactive compositions which have been used include inorganic cement mortars and hardenable synthetic resins, and these have been introduced into the drill holes through a feed pipe, or in cartridged form. In the latter case, the reactive components, e.g., a polymerizable resin formulation and a catalyst which catalyzes the curing of the resin, are introduced into the hole in separate cartridges or in separate compartments of the same cartridge. A rigid bolt penetrates, and thereby ruptures, the cartridge(s) and the package contents are mixed by rotation of the bolt. The grouting mixture hardens around the bolt so as to anchor it in place.
In the case of inorganic cements, the pumping of a prepared hydraulic cement mortar into a hole after a bolt is in position therein has been described, as has the driving of a bolt into hydraulic cement mortar in a hole. In the former case, complete and uniform filling of the space around the bolt is difficult to ensure; and, in the latter case, the bolt has to be installed immediately after the mortar has been introduced, so that it is not feasible to fill a large number of holes with the mortar first and subsequently to introduce the bolts, a more efficient procedure.
Cartridged hydraulic cement systems for anchoring rock bolts are described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,869, British Pat. Nos. 1,293,619 and 1,293,620, and German OLS No. 2,207,076. In these systems the components of an hydraulic cement mortar are introduced into a drill hole in separate compartments of an easily destructible cartridge. One component of the system, i.e., the hydraulic cement, is placed in one of the compartments in the dry particulate state, i.e., as a dry powder or grit; and the other component, i.e., water, is placed in the other compartment. The cartridge is broken and the components are mixed by driving and rotating the bolt therein. The cartridged system has the advantage that bolts can be installed in the holes at any time after the introduction of the reactive components because the components are kept separated until the installation of the bolt. Also, such a system requires no complex pumping equipment at the site of use.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 25,869 discloses the use of a glass cylinder filled with a dry Portland cement/sand mixture which has embedded therein a glass capsule containing water and a rapid-hardening agent, e.g., calcium chloride, to shorten the hardening time.
British Pat. Nos. 1,293,619 and 1,293,620 describe the use of a cartridge consisting of inner and outer rigid brittle tubes having at least one end that is readily frangible, the space between the two tubes containing a mixture of Portland cement and high alumina cement, and the inner tube containing water. The addition of an aggregate, e.g., sand or copper slag, a natural gum and salt compound, and a wetting agent to the water also is disclosed.
In German OLS No. 2,207,076, the particulate material in one compartment is gypsum, preferably mixed with a strength-enhancing cement, to which an inert filler such as styrofoam may be added. The use of alginates, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, carboxymethylcellulose, and metallic soaps as gelling agents to increase the viscosity of the water in the other compartment also is disclosed.
Although inorganic cement grouting systems are economically attractive in contrast to resin-curing systems, and generally are not plagued with such problems as instability on storage as are resin-curing systems, cement grouting systems wherein one of the components is a dry cement present certain difficulties in use, especially when applied to the fixing of bolts in drill holes. When compartmented cartridges are used, the bolt must be inserted into the cartridge and penetrate its full length if the components are to be mixed properly. This insertion is difficult to achieve with cartridges containing a dry cement component. The magnitude of the force required to achieve the necessary insertion may exceed the capability of standard bolting equipment available in the working location, e.g., in a mine. Also, the insertion force required with such cartridges may cause the bolt to buckle.
Another problem with the cartridged dry cement component system of the prior art is that the cement component is easily vulnerable to premature hardening should ambient moisture or water from the other compartment penetrate the cartridge seals or packaging material, a situation which could arise on storage or during transportation of cartridges. Lastly, the prior art bolt-anchoring systems employing inorganic cement are not well-suited for use in the uncartridged form, where compact pumping equipment and accurate metering are desirable to deliver the components to the drill hole.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,663 describes the reinforcement of rock formations with a two-component resin composition based on (a) an unsaturated polymerizable polyester (alkyd) resin mixed with a monomeric polymerizable ethylenic compound and (b) a cross-linking peroxide catalyst system. A water-reactive filler such as Portland cement or plaster of Paris (5-10 percent of the final composition) is incorporated in either the resin component or the catalyst component, and water is incorporated in the component not containing the water-reactive filler. The water-reactive filler and water are used to modify the basic resin/catalyst system, the presence of water during the curing of the resin being disclosed as causing an imperfect cure and minimizing shrinkage. Water-reactive fillers (up to 5 percent) have been disclosed (U.S. Pat. No. 2,288,321) to shorten the curing time of alkyd resins by reacting with the water formed during curing.
In the grouting system of U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,663, the reactants essential for the formation of a hardened grout are totally organic, i.e., an alkyd resin and a liquid ethylenic monomer, and they are cartridged together in the same compartment, i.e., premixed, the resin being dissolved in the ethylenic monomer and reacting therewith when the separately packaged catalyst is mixed in. Only about 5-10 percent of the total composition is water-reactive filler. The preponderance of resin and catalyst in this system, and the basic resin-curing reaction that occurs, over-ride and obscure any possible secondary reaction involving the water-reactive filler.
Co-pending, co-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 830,473, filed concurrently herewith by David Linn Coursen, describes an improved grouting system wherein a first component of an inorganic grouting composition is a slush or sludgy mass of a particulate inorganic cement, e.g., a cement that sets by hydration, and a liquid which is nonreactive therewith; and a second component of the composition is a liquid which is reactive with the inorganic cement in the first component. An aggregate such as sand preferably is present in one or both of the components, and the reactive liquid preferably is in thickened form.
Cement in slush form has several advantages over the dry cement used in previous rock bolt packages. First, the nonreactive liquid imparts lubricity to the cement so that, when the two components of the grouting composition are packaged in a compartmented cartridge, a bolt can be inserted into the cartridge easily and rapidly. Also, the nonreactive liquid, if substantially immiscible with the reactive liquid, helps to reduce the possibility of the premature setting of the cement as a result of contact with the reactive liquid or its vapors, e.g., ambient moisture, during storage or handling, thereby affording a longer shelf life to the cartridged system. In addition, use of the cement in slush form enables the cement component to be metered accurately and handled in compact pumps for ease of packaging in high-speed form-fill machinery as well as for on-site feed operations. The cement component in slush form also is advantageous in that it is adapted to be delivered intermittently in relatively small quantities as is required for bolt anchoring in holes.
Although thickeners for the water component of cartridged cement grouts for anchoring rock bolts have heretofore been described for increasing the water viscosity, certain problems associated with thickened aggregate/water slushes or slurries have not been considered. When aggregate is present, the aggregate particles tend to segregate and settle out, making packaging and bolt insertion difficult. Because of the limited capability of equipment available in the working location, and because high insertion forces may cause the bolt to bend, it is important that the bolt be able to be inserted smoothly and quickly into the cartridged grout. At the same time, any reduction in strength of the grout caused by the presence of the thickener should be small enough as not to impair the usefulness of the grout.